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Wednesday afternoon, the GBHS A Cappella Choir and Madrigals Pops Singers put the finishing touches on the 2012 Christmas Vespers concert. Dressed in robes, the group of 110 were picture perfect for videographers taping the program at Barton Community College.

On Tuesday, members of the Barton County Young Professionals group gathered for their third annual Ugly Sweater Christmas party. While the mood was festive and light-hearted, the group was doing some serious good as well, said YP chairman Kristy Straub. Members collected a large box of items for the Barton County Food Bank, along with over $100 in cash donations.

The Golden Belt Community Foundation recently completed its third competitive grant cycle for 2012 and awarded $10,122.54 to charitable agencies and projects in Barton, Pawnee, Rush, and Stafford counties.

ELLINWOOD - Ryan J. Placher, 25, of Ellinwwod was travelling west on highway U.S. 56 approximately half a mile east of Ellinwood when the vehicle went off the right shoulder at about 5 p.m. on Tuesday evening. He overcorrected, came back onto the roadway, and slid sideways in to oncoming traffic. According to the Kansas Highway Patrol Crash log, a Ford 2008 F250 driven by Marion D. Newkirk, 55, of Lyons saw the vehicle , but was unable to avoid the collision.

Phil Shoemaker may be "retiring" from coaching NCAA volleyball, but his work is only beginning at Barton Community College. The board of trustees approved his appointment as the college's new head volleyball coach at Tuesday's meeting.

There are a lot of things to love about Christmas, but one of the best is the gift of giving, "Christmas is the spirit of giving. And what we try to do is give ourselves. It is the little things that mean a lot. You don't have to win the lottery before you can give back," said Randy Smith.

"Failure has been my greatest teacher," John Keenan said Tuesday afternoon at Perks Coffee Shop in Great Bend. The 28 year old Great Bend High School graduate was dropping off a stack of his newly cut CDs with uncle Greg Keenan, who will make them available to the public. The journey to create the album of songs, along with younger brother Mark and friend Scott Martz has been both illuminating and life changing.

Members of the Barton County Commission had their eyes opened Monday morning when Pattie McGurk with Catholic Social Services addressed them about a grant the agency received to help the homeless find homes.

Fuller Industries LLC officially took possession of the former Fuller Brush Company's manufacturing and distribution facility in Great Bend on Saturday morning Dec. 1, as part of a bankruptcy settlement bid to purchase all personal property, real estate and industrial business segments, which includes the custom brush and commercial janitorial supply businesses. This overall effort was made possible with the commitment and cooperation of numerous local investors who rallied local resources to purchase this company and retain the 200 plus jobs in our community.

Rich Fox, a member of Great Bend's model train club, has been busy recently sharing the Christmas spirit by transporting and setting up model trains around the city. A few weeks ago, he brought an HO gauge set out to Waters True Value Hardware. He brought an "old timey" steam locomotive G gauge to the Shafer Art Gallery, and a slightly more modern version that looks like an old narrow-gauge railroad to the Barton County Historical Museum which will be on display this weekend.